Much-needed legislation to continue funding abandoned mine cleanup is moving forward in Congress. The House Natural Resources Committee this week approved H.R. 4248 by a voice vote following testimony from lead sponsor Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA). “H.R. 4248 would ensure that states and tribes can continue addressing challenges presented by historic mining operations,” Chris Wood, President … Read more
By Ty Churchwell No one in Durango nor Silverton, Colo., will ever forget Aug. 5, 2015 — the day of the Gold King mine spill that sent 3 million gallons of ugly, toxic mine water down the Animas River in southwest part of the state. To say the accident was highly visible is an understatement. In today’s digital world, photos of the orange … Read more
Photo above: Congressman Dan Meuser (white shirt) and Earth Conservancy president/CEO Mike Dziak (speaking) during a tour of an abandoned mine reclamation site in Luzerne County, Pa. Earth Conservancy photo. There are moonscapes outside Wilkes-Barre, Pa.—piles of black culm left behind from coal mining operations before the dawn of regulation four decades ago. A local … Read more
An abandoned mine overlooks Lion Creek drainage near Empire, Colorado By Randy Scholfield We are bouncing along in four-wheel drive vehicles, high in the Clear Creek watershed west of Denver, overlooking beautiful forest vistas and steep hillsides laced with snowmelt creeks. We are here with a group of reporters to show them a dark secret … Read more
By Lily Bosworth As I waltzed into my summer internship in May of 2018, I quickly realized I had a much different background in water than the two people I would be working closely with all summer — Paul Burnett, the Utah Water and Habitat Program lead for Trout Unlimited and my co-intern, Bobby Boone, … Read more
